UniBank Blackstone River Valley Greenway
Challenge 2010 Charitable Recipient
Every year, the UniBank Blackstone River Valley Greenway Challenge Steering Committee seeks a Blackstone Valley non-profit organization to be their charitable recipient. The mission of the non-profit organization must be comparable to that of the Greenway Challenge, which is to promote the recreational opportunities in the Blackstone River Valley. Working with partner organizations, the Greenway Challenge supports clean water campaigns, hiking and biking trails, wildlife projects, environmental education and development of waterway access. Deadline for submission is June 1 2010.
For more information, visit
www.greenwaychallenge.org or contact Barbara Dixon, UniBank Greenway
Challenge Request, One Depot Square, Woonsocket, RI 02895. Barbara may be
reached at 401-762-0250 ext. 30.#
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Previous Charitable Recipients
2005 Charitable
Recipient - Blackstone Valley Youth Leadership
Academy
In May 2005, the inaugural class of the Blackstone
Valley Youth Leadership Academy graduated 23
emerging young leaders from Blackstone Valley high
schools in Massachusetts and one from Burrillville,
RI. The program was loosely modeled after the adult
stewardship program, Leadership Blackstone Valley.
Students were selected through a competitive
application process and participated in twice
monthly sessions for 5 months. The program
culminated in a large group community service
project. |
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The 2005 Greenway Challenge selected the BVYLA
program as the first charitable program. A team of
LBV and BVYLA alums joined community volunteers in
hosting a transition site at the Blackstone Gorge.
Each year a few BVYLA alums volunteer with the
Greenway Challenge event, and with other local and
regional activities. Since 2005, the program has
graduated four more classes, bringing the number of
BVYLA alumnae to 113. The curriculum has expanded to
12 sessions, and now includes a session on career
exploration and a civic engagement session where
students participate in a mock town meeting. The
centerpiece of the program remains leadership
development and stewardship. The model was tweaked
for the 2009 class to allow individual students to
have the opportunity to identify a community need,
select a project to address that need, and then plan
and implement the project. This change was
instituted to give students an immediate hands-on
leadership experience, using their newly developed
skills to make a difference in their community and
involve others in their individual projects. The
Blackstone Valley Youth Leadership Academy is proud
to have two student Chafee Heritage Award winners
among its alumnae. We look forward to continuing to
support the development of the next generations of
leaders in the Blackstone Valley. Mary Lou
Anderson, Program Coordinator, Blackstone Valley
Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, 110 Church
Street, Whitinsville, MA 01588, 508-234-9090, X101 -
mlanderson@blackstonevalley.org
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2006 Charitable
Recipient - Blackstone River Coalition
A grant from the Greenway
Challenge helped fund the design and construction of
a demonstration rain garden at Mass Audubon's Broad
Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary Visitor Center in
Worcester.
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It collects 5/8ths of the runoff from the roof and
sustains a variety of native plants that provide
color and interest throughout the growing season.
These plants produce nectar and berries to attract
wildlife such as butterflies, hummingbirds, cedar
waxwings and winter robins.
The
remaining 3/8ths of the runoff is collected in a
rain barrel and used for irrigation purposes. In a
one-inch rainstorm, the roof generates 832 gallons
of runoff! If more people create rain gardens we
can greatly reduce the impacts of stormwater on the
Blackstone and its tributaries. The BRC and Mass
Audubon are truly grateful for the support of the
Greenway Challenge to help reach our goal of Clean
by 2015.
The Blackstone River Coalition is a partnership of
numerous organizations working to restore the
Blackstone River and improve the health of its
watershed. To that end, we have launched the
Campaign for a Fishable/Swimmable Blackstone River
By 2015.
Because polluted runoff is the priority
issue impacting water quality in the Blackstone
River and its tributaries, the Blackstone River
Coalition recently hosted a highly successful
watershed-wide conference entitled Managing Wet
Weather in the Blackstone River Watershed: The Lull
before the Storm. The conference took place at
Alternatives Unlimited, a LEED platinum-certified
mill restoration on the banks of the Mumford River
in Whitinsville, MA on May 14, sponsored by the
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor Commission. The goal was to urge
municipal officials and staff, developers, engineers
and concerned citizens to take advantage of the lull
in the building boom to lay the groundwork for
communities to require better stormwater management
practices and for developers to design more creative
projects.
The three panel presentations included
representatives from EPA, RIDEM and Mass EOEEA
discussing new stormwater requirements; local
officials from Mass. and RI exploring the power of
local boards to improve stormwater management; and
good Blackstone watershed examples of low impact
development practices that reduce the volume of
stormwater and recharge groundwater. Keynote
speaker was Rob Roseen, Director of UNHs Stormwater
Center. Everyone attending learned even more about
the importance of reducing stormwater volume and
polluted runoff to restore our rivers and streams,
and methods for making it happen. One of these low
impact development practices is the construction of
rain gardens to capture runoff from impervious
surface areas such as rooftops and driveways, and
allow it to seep slowly into the ground. Most
importantly, rain gardens help preserve nearby
streams and ponds by reducing the amount of polluted
runoff and filtering pollutants that might otherwise
enter our waterways.
For more information visit
www.zaptheblackstone.org or contact BRC
Coordinator Peter Coffin at 508-753-6087 or
peter.coffin@zaptheblackstone.org.
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2007 Charitable
Recipient – Blackstone River Bikeway Association
On May
16, the Blackstone River Bikeway Association (BRBA)
held a Bike Rodeo and Swap at the Whitin Community
Center. This event is part of the Association’s
strategy to create “bike friendly communities” and
to build awareness and appreciation for recreational
biking in the Blackstone Valley, which, in turn,
will create excitement and advocacy for completion
of the Blackstone River Bikeway in Massachusetts. |
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“Cycling is a tremendously positive way for
families to play together, get exercise and enjoy
the outdoors” said Eric Guerin from the BRBA. “At a
time when so many of us are looking for healthy
inexpensive activities, we are pleased to have this
opportunity to invite everyone in our community to
join us in celebrating cycling.”
The BRBA has
hosted a transition site at past years Greenway
Challenges and is currently meeting with the 2009
Logistics Committee in planning this year’s course
and selecting the transition site which they will
host. For more information the Blackstone River
Bikeway visit
www.blackstonebikeway.org
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2008 Charitable
Recipient - Waters Farm
Speaking for Waters Farm, that designation and the
association with the event is quite an honor. In choosing
Waters Farm, Charles Thompson, chairman of the committee
said, “The committee felt that a strong and dependable
relationship has grown between the event and the volunteers
at the farm. They were terrific hosts at last year’s event
and we look forward to working with them again this year.
Most importantly, Waters Farm Preservation Inc. is a
wonderful example of volunteer commitment. Their efforts to
preserve the farm and to make it available for educational
and recreational purposes have made it an icon of the
Blackstone
Valley. We were very
pleased to designate them the recipient of our charitable
efforts in 2008. |
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Waters Farm was
founded in 1757 by Stephen Waters and home to the Waters
family until Dorothea Waters Moran donated the property to
the Town of Sutton.
While the focus is the 1757 house many people remember the
farm through the spectacular open fields and forests that
surround the buildings and by the sight of
Manchaug
Lake from the area near
the main house.
There are 120
acres of land that are part of the Waters Farm property. In
addition to the fields that are most often seen on a visit
to the farm, there are numerous trails that crisscross
through the forested land and take the visitor down to the
shore of beautiful Manchaug Lake.In keeping with
the mission of the Greenway Challenge, Waters Farm serves as
a key connection in the Lake Manchaug Greenway and Wildlife
Corridor, connecting thousands of protected acres in the
town of Sutton, beginning at the Sutton
State Forest,
to thousands of protected acres in the town of
Douglas, highlighted by the Mid-State Trail and
the Douglas State
Forest. The farm also
provides watershed protection to
Manchaug
Lake by the stewardship of
nearly 2000 feet of frontage along the lake and valuable
habitat protection through the nearly 100 acres of forest.
The designation
as charitable recipient and the donation that accompanied it
came at an ideal time. The first floor of the beautiful main
house at Waters Farm is undergoing a much needed “spruce up”
and renovation and the generous Greenway Challenge donation
has been designated as a part of the funding for those
efforts.
Visitors to this year’s Fall Farm Days on October 3rd
and 4th will be able to tour the house and see the results.
Visit www.watersfarm.com
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2009 Charitable
Recipient - Mohegan Council, Inc., Boy Scouts of America |
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The UniBank Blackstone River Valley Greenway Challenge
Steering Committee chose the Mohegan Council, Inc., Boy Scouts
of America as the 2009 Charitable Recipient. “The Steering
Committee was impressed by the Scouts’ enthusiasm in assisting
at various transition sites in past years.
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We noted the environmental work they do year-round
in maintaining the beauty of the natural setting, increasing wildlife
habitat and improving recreational sites found in the John H. Chafee
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor” stated Steering
Committee Chair Charles Thompson.
The mission of the selected organization must be compatible to that of
the UniBank Blackstone River Valley Greenway Challenge, which is to promote
the recreational opportunities in the Blackstone River Valley. Working with
partner organizations, the Greenway Challenge supports clean water
campaigns, hiking and biking trails, wildlife projects, environmental
education and development of waterway access. The Boy Scouts of America’s
mission matches the Greenway Challenge’s mission well. The selection
committee also felt that youths should be encouraged and given further
opportunities to learn about and enjoy the Blackstone River.
The Boy Scouts of America’s conservation focus has been part of its core
program and emphasis since its inception in 1910. According to Jay Garee,
Scout Executive, “Through Scouting, young people are exposed to the
recreational benefits found within the Blackstone Valley Region. Scouts age
6 and up have explored the Blackstone River by canoe, hiked and cycled the
Valley’s trails, and camped along the Blackstone Canal. Learning by doing is
a hallmark of outdoor education and Scouts have learned to appreciate both
the remarkable industrial heritage of the river as well as its
eco-revitalization.” “We are very pleased and honored to be awarded this
grant and look forward to a continued partnership with those involved in
preserving the natural setting of the Blackstone River Valley.”
For the past century, the Mohegan Council has been a vital part of the
central Massachusetts community. The Council currently serves over 4,700
youth in 32 cities and towns by providing Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting,
Venturing and Learning for Life opportunities to children and young adults.
Scouting has helped countless boys and (yes...) girls from our region
develop into confident adults, engaged in community service and willing to
serve others. In 2010 the BSA is celebrating its centennial ~ 100 years of
fun and learning. Visit
www.MoheganCouncilBSA.org for more information.
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